UConn announces plans for opening new, on-campus hockey arena

UConn’s plans for opening the new, on-campus hockey arena have been finalized. On Friday, the school launched a micro-site with information about the upcoming season for season ticket holders that reveals how the Huskies plan to split games between the XL Center in Hartford and Storrs.

As we reported on the UConn Hockey Hub earlier this week, UConn plans to host 17 men’s hockey games this season with 12 at the XL Center and five at the new rink — though that’s dependent on the construction timeline. If everything stays on track, the school will open the arena on Jan. 14 with a men’s and women’s double-header. Mike Cavanaugh’s squad will take on Northeastern but the women’s team has not released its home slate.

After that, the Huskies’ men’s hockey squad will play its final four home games — Saturday, Jan. 21 vs. UMass, Wednesday, Feb. 22 vs. Alaska Anchorage, Saturday, Feb. 25 vs. UNH and Friday, Mar. 3 vs. Boston College — in Storrs, with the Alaska Anchorage contest set to be a student-only game.

As a result, season ticket packages will only feature 16 games but will include tickets to the contests at both the XL Center and the new rink. For the 2022-23 campaign only, UConn will place patrons in seats based on their Husky Athletic Fund priority points. Fans will have the opportunity to opt out of games in Storrs when renewing or purchasing season tickets.

For the 2023-24 season, fans will have the option to select their seats for games in the new rink. The split between games in Hartford and Storrs has not been decided for that campaign, though it’ll likely be somewhere around 50/50. If it’s not equal, expect there to be more games on-campus than at the XL Center.

Season ticket renewals begin on Aug. 19 and will run through Sept. 19. New season tickets will go on sale on Sept. 29. For next season, renewals and new sales will start in February or March and will include a seat donation.

Entry to all women’s hockey games this season will be free. The team will open the season at Freitas Ice Forum on campus before moving to the new arena once it’s completed. Information on women’s hockey tickets for 2023-24 will be released later.

New information, renderings from new arena

In addition to ticket information, the website also provided new information and renderings for the new arena. In addition to what we already know — it’ll seat 2,600, split up between 80 percent chair backs and 20 percent bleachers, with a video board over center ice and ribbon boards around the rink — the facility will also feature four types of premium seating.

There’s the ice-level lounge — which already exists at the XL Center — with cafe-style seating and bar; the club lounge, located above the concourse at center ice with 145 cushioned seats, drink rail seats and a bar area; on-the-glass seats; and ticketed drink rail seats along the concourse with bar-style chairs and a table.

Grid View

• Club level lounge
• Ice level lounge
• Drink rail seats
• The main entrance of the building along Jim Calhoun Way